This story is from September 11, 2017

Ambedkar wanted to make Sanskrit national language, says MM Joshi

Ambedkar wanted to make Sanskrit national language, says MM Joshi
Murli Manohar Joshi at Scientific Hall, Laxmi Nagar, on Sunday
Nagpur: Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar had tabled a proposal to make Sanskrit a national language before the drafting committee of the Indian Constitution which found favour with people from different religions as it is a treasure of knowledge and represents unity. However, politics played its part and Sanskrit took a back seat, lamented Murli Manohar Joshi, senior BJP leader and former union HRD minister, on Sunday.

Joshi was speaking at a programme organized by Pradnyabharti SB Warnekar Janmashatabdi Mahotsav Samiti and Abhyankar Nagar Nagarik Mandal at Scientific Society Hall to pay tributes to the great scholar on his birth centenary. He said that Sanskrit is not just a language of worshipping God and treasure of scientific knowledge but a medium to gain language in subjects like quantum physics, computers and health sciences. Sanskrit literature is rich in economics and morality. Many questions that one may face in life has answers in ‘Shantiparva’ of Mahabharat, Joshi added.
Joshi said that the Supreme Court had once asked why Sanskrit is not made mandatory in schools. “As HRD minister, I had mooted the idea of making Sanskrit compulsory, but the plan had to be dropped after stiff opposition,” he said. The condition of Sanskrit universities is not good and lack of teachers has compounded their plight, he added.
In his address, union transport minister Nitin Gadkari said that Sanskrit should not be confined to a certain section of the society, but taken to the grass roots level. For this, people’s perspective towards the language will have to be changed and this is the perfect time to do it. He called for revisiting promotion of Sanskrit and marketing it properly. Gadkari also recalled how people had criticized setting up of a Sanskrit university when Sudhakar Naik was the chief minister. Later, a committee led by former minister Shrikant Jichkar ensured the establishment of Kavi Kalidas Sanskrit University at Ramtek.
Present at the programme were Ram Khandwe, Chandragupt Warnekar, Dnyaneshwar Shende and Ravindra Kaskhedikar.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA